Written questions by Hollinrake.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to consult with political parties formally on the political finance technical measures outlined in the policy paper entitled Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections, published on 17 July 2025.

The political finance measures are building on long-standing, well-established recommendations from expert stakeholders across the electoral landscape.In developing our measures for the Elections paper, we have worked closely with key stakeholders. We are keen to continue this important engagement with all stakeholders, including political parties, as we progress this work.

Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to Electoral Registration Officers on the declarations that a potential elector must make to enter the electoral roll.

The Electoral Commission, as the independent electoral regulator, holds responsibility for publishing guidance for Electoral Registration Officers, including guidance on electoral registration. This guidance can be found on the Electoral Commission’s website.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of paying council tax on the former Deputy Prime Minister's flat in Admiralty House in each of the next three months.

The council tax charges levied by Westminster City Council are available online on their website at https://www.westminster.gov.uk/council-tax/council-tax-bands-and-charges.

How much his Department has spent on promotion through social and digital influencers since July 2024.

The Department for Work and Pensions has spent a total of £120,023 on influencer marketing since July 2024. Please note this figure is inclusive of whole costs, including agency fees. It is not possible to release individual spend per influencer, as commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71213 on Public Sector: Pay, how many applications made through the senior pay process (a) were rejected since 4 July 2024 and (b) were approved since the new guidance was issued in July 2025; and if he will publish the number of approvals made through that process since 4 July 2024, broken down by (i) Department and (ii) public body.

Since July 2024, of the senior pay cases submitted to HM Treasury for approval, three were outright rejected. A further 28 cases were modified or partially approved. Since the issuance of new guidance in July 2025, 21 cases have been approved. Pay of senior public sector employees is published in organisation’s annual reports and accounts.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2025 to Question 73832 on Special Advisers: Political Parties, whether special advisers have been asked to undertake opposition research.

As has been the case under successive governments, special advisers are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers at all times.

Further to the Prime Minister's visit to the offices of Palantir Technologies in Washington with Lord Mandelson on 27 February 2025, whether any minutes were taken at that meeting.

This was not a formal meeting, therefore we do not hold any minutes.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 73317 on Diplomatic Service: Pay, whether Lord Mandelson is still being paid as a civil servant following his withdrawal as Head of Mission.

Lord Mandelson's withdrawal is undergoing normal HR processes.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to with reference to DEP2025-0538/ MHCLG Flights July 5 2024- May 31 2025, deposited on 24 July 2025, for what reason his Department travelled from London to Islamabad.

Earlier this year, the then Minister for Faith, Communities and Resettlement visited Pakistan on official government business to undertake diplomatic and humanitarian engagements, including meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Communities and Local Government, for what reason the Land Registry has not updated the title deeds on the former Deputy Prime Minister’s dwelling in Ashton-under-Lyne following the changes made earlier this year.

HM Land Registry publishes information about processing times which can be found on gov.uk here. While the time taken to process this type of application is not out of the ordinary, HM Land Registry is committed to improving speed of service for its customers.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to with reference to DEP2025-0538/ MHCLG Flights July 5 2024- May 31 2025, deposited on 24 July 2025, for what reason his Department travelled from London to Boston.

A senior official in the Department travelled to Boston for external training as part of a year-long leadership course, approval for which followed normal processes.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to DEP2025-0538/ MHCLG Flights July 5 2024- May 31 2025, deposited on 24 July 2025, for what reason his Department took flights from London to Newcastle.

These flights were taken as part of a Ministerial Visit. The former Deputy Prime Minister attended a joint visit with the Department of Business and Trade, and the inaugural meeting of the Mayoral Council in Newcastle on 10 October 2024.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to with reference to DEP2025-0538/ MHCLG Flights July 5 2024- May 31 2025, deposited on 24 July 2025, for what reason his Department took flights from Manchester to London.

A flight was taken from Manchester to London on 9 March 2025 by a member of staff to attend a mandatory training course on the following day.The trains were on strike at the time of the booking attempt (14 February 2025), as a result, none of the Manchester-to-London routes were shown on the government booking platform.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 72871 on Social Tariffs, whether the increase in customers on social tariffs will result in increased bills for other customers.

Statutory guidance requires companies to balance their support for low-income households against the interests of other customers. In their business plans for the period between 2025–2030, some companies have committed to shareholder contributions to financial support schemes such as social tariffs and matched debt repayments. The projected number of customers on social tariffs between 2025-2030 has already been factored into price controls; any additional increase will not affect bill levels for other customers.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 69834 on Water Charges, whether households can request that the smart element of smart water meters is deinstalled.

Smart water meters provide an increased regularity of data, in comparison to standard meters, which enables water companies to identify leaks in the property and can help incentivise more water efficient behaviours assisting in reducing overall water consumption. If customers are concerned about their bills increasing, many companies offer the option to switch to the lowest tariff if they find that their metered bill is more expensive.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 114 of the Elections Strategy, published in July 2024, what types of information will be shared through the Electoral Commission's statutory gateway for the purpose of assisting the relevant body to carrying out its functions that it is not currently able to share.

The Electoral Commission currently lacks an explicit statutory gateway to share information with other regulators and enforcement authorities, making routine information-sharing burdensome and impeding effective cooperation. The Government therefore intends to give the Commission an explicit statutory gateway to share information with certain regulators and enforcement authorities, provided that it is for the purpose of assisting the relevant body in carrying out its statutory functions. Providing a solid legal foundation for disclosing relevant information will nurture a collaborative regulatory environment on cross-cutting issues like data protection and digital campaigning. Any disclosures will remain subject to UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Alongside other proposals in the Elections Strategy, we will legislate to bring forward this measure as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2025 to Question 70574 on Diplomatic Service: Political Impartiality, whether the political restrictions on ambassadors extend to a prohibition on (a) speaking in public in favour of a political party and (b) fundraising for a political party.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to question 70574.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 73318 on Diplomatic Service: Political Impartiality, whether any members of his Department or the Diplomatic Service have been given permissioned to attend the Labour Party Conference 2025.

No such permissions have been issued within the reporting period.

Food and Rural Affairs, To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 69834 on Water Charges, whether participation in tariff pilots is optional.

All water companies have committed to carrying out a charging trial by 2030. Ofwat has set good practice principles for the charging trials, which all companies must follow. In designing their trials, companies are required to consult with the Consumer Council for Water to ensure that safeguards are in place to protect vulnerable consumers or exclude them from trials where appropriate. This means that customers who may be struggling to pay their water bills are protected whilst the trials are carried out.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the (a) ban on controlled heather burning on deep peat and (b) definition of deep peat on the risk of wildfires.

Evidence shows that burning is damaging to peatlands and can increase their long-term vulnerability to wildfires. The amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 significantly increase the area of peatland protected, helping to reduce the impacts of wildfire in the future. The Government’s full response to the public consultation, which includes sections on wildfire and peat depth, can be found here - Summary of responses and government response - GOV.UK.